1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to generating at least one feature in a model vehicle or, more particularly, to a system and method for using data related to a load of the model vehicle to generate a corresponding sound and amount of smoke, or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Model train engines having sound and smoke generating devices are well known in the art. Generally, these devices are controlled by a user via a remote control. For example, a user may instruct a model train to puff smoke (or steam) from a stack on the model train and play a corresponding “chuffing” sound. While doing so may begin to emulate what one would expect from an actual train, the mere activation of sound and smoke does not take into account different amounts of smoke and different sounds that one would expect from a laboring train (e.g., a train going up a hill, pulling a plurality of cars, etc.).
In an effort to address this drawback, some model trains are configured to vary sound and smoke in response to variations in speed of the model train. However, a speed of a model train may not necessarily equate to a particular load of a motor. For example, a vehicle traveling uphill at 10 MPH (e.g., at 3500 RPMs) would experience a larger load, and therefore output more smoke and a more labored sound, than a vehicle traveling downhill at 30 MPH (e.g., at 1000 RPMs).
Thus, it would be advantageous to design a more accurate system and method of calculating or estimating a load of a model vehicle, and using the calculated or estimated load to generate a corresponding sound and output a corresponding amount of smoke or steam.